Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
33-21, 19-11
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Western Michigan
21-29, 18-11
Baseball Rolls in Regular Season Finale, Earns No. 2 Seed for MAC Tournament
5/20/2023 4:56:00 PM | Baseball
Chippewas open league tourney on Wednesday against Ball State
It was the series and regular season finale for the Chippewas, who finished 19-11 and in second place in the Mid-American Conference. They take a 33-21 record into the MAC Tournament at regular season champion Kent State.
The Chippewas are the No. 2 seed and will open against third-seeded Ball State on Wednesday, May 24 (6 p.m.). Kent State and Western Michigan play in the tournament opener at noon on Wednesday.
CMU is the defending tournament champion. The double-elimination continues through Saturday, May 28.
The Chippewas broke a five-game losing streak in winning Saturday's finale, which was called after seven innings on the run rule.
"I'd like to think we could have gone into the tournament confident either way because we've had a lot of success over the year, but certainly when you go a handful of games without playing a good one, you do lose a little bit of that edge in confidence," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "It's the preferred way to go in. … This'll help to get guys feeling just a little bit better."
Morgan, who homered twice in Friday's loss, finished with two hits and drove in three runs in Saturday's series finale. He leads the Chippewas with 12 homers, and he had gone 12 games without hitting a round-tripper before Friday.
"Robby's biggest critic is himself," Bischel said. "He beats himself up when he doesn't have success and it's not for a lack of trying. We've just been able to get him relaxed and feeling a little bit more confident and that was great to see.
"Every one of those home runs was well hit and he would have had another one if not for the wind blowing in. Certainly that's a big spark for the offense when he squares balls up like that."
The 14 walks marked a season high for the Chippewas, who have drawn 348 bases on balls on the season, ranking in the top five nationally.
Leadoff man Justin Simpson and No. 2 hitter Jacob Donahue along with Danny Wuestenfeld collected three walks apiece and each scored two runs.
The Chippewas scored two runs in the first inning and Morgan's homer, a two-run shot to left center, upped the lead to 8-0 in the fourth.
Keegan Batka (7-3) struck out five, walked four, and surrendered just three hits over five innings for the win. Ryan Palmblad and Christian Mitchelle pitched in relief.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Batka, Keegan (7-3)
L: THELEN, L. (1-5)
Batting:
2B: Jackson, Marquis 1
HR: Morgan IV, Robby 1
RBI: Simpson, Justin 1 ; Donahue, Jacob 2 ; Mitchelle, Christian 2 ; Wuestenfeld, Danny 1 ; Morgan IV, Robby 3 ; Stuart, Ely 1 ; Stengren, Drew 1 ; Jackson, Marquis 1
SH: Mitchelle, Christian 1
SF: Mitchelle, Christian 1 ; Stuart, Ely 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Simpson, Justin 2 ; Donahue, Jacob 2 ; Navarra, Garrett 2 ; Morgan IV, Robby 2 ; Stuart, Ely 1 ; Stengren, Drew 1 ; Jackson, Marquis 2
SB: Navarra, Garrett 1
HBP: Jackson, Marquis 1
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Batting:
2B: DOYLE, G. 1 ; ALLEN, J. 1
HR: DOYLE, G. 1
RBI: DOYLE, G. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DOYLE, G. 1
SB: KITCHEN, J. 1
CS: KITCHEN, J. 1
